ramblinNrollin

first off a little background... i own a 2006 dodge cummins 4x4 dually and use it to pull my 40ft straight deck trailer for a living(hotshot)... last thursday i got done dropping a load off and was low on fuel and pulled into and exxon to fill up... let me just say me personally usually fill up at either flyin j or valero fill in stations but i was low and needed diesel so i stopped at this shady lookin exxon... put exactly 30 gallons and headed home made it approx. 5 miles when my truck water in fuel light came on and started shaking shortly thereafter... keep in mind that i have my 40fter on down i10 with lots of traffic so i couldnt just shut it off immedialetly. i nursed it over to the shoulder of the road by that time so much white smoke was coming out of exhaust u couldnt even see the trailer or anyone behind me.... to make a long story short i had it towed to local dodge dealership...following morning they called and asked if i ahd filled up with my water hose....i immedialtely went back to the exxon and taked to the owner... again long story short...he said sorry he has had problems with water in his holding tanks before. i bit my tongue since he promised to make it right. his insurance adjuster contacted me 2 days later after repeated attempts of myself tryin to get ahold of him...like i said i hotshot and my truck is my work..i finally got the adjuser....long story short again....he said they r only willing to pay 6000.00 out of the 20000 yes 20,000 dodge said it was going to cost and if that wasnt enough my down time and rental truck would not be provided either.... thank god i kept my reciept because i have gotten an attorney and am takin him to court... i do not have the money to get my truck fixed..so i am stuck paying 100.00 a day 4 a rental that comes out of my pocket.. my lawyer said that exxon has 60 days to settle and thereafter if no agreement is reached it could take up to 2yrs harris county.(houston) to go to court.... i cannot beleive how this could happen and why or how anyone could possibly afford this...also why wont exxon just settle? i have the diesel receipt, tow receitp, 30 gallons of watery diesel and a qoute from dodge .... also do yall think my truck will ever be the same they said pretty much everything is fried.. injectors, new motor b/c theold had metal shaving where hte rod hit the piston i mean it just gos on and on.. sorry bout the length of this just very stressed and need some advice thanks to all and always remeber keep your reciepts...

vzdude

I have read several similar posts! I now ALWAYS keep several receipts in my truck. Try to keep at least the 3 last ones, and try to fill up at the same place. Sorry to hear about your luck and good luck getting it taken care of.

donhov

First off I am not an expert.

From other posts I keep hearing about Dodge trying to replace motors and major fixes due to water/contaminants in fuel. Many have said that first pull tank and totally clean it out. Then flush as much as you can out of the fuel system by bleeding thru the fuel lines, then change filter. Next try starting truck, it may run a little rough for a brief while while the rest of the water is flushed out. I don't know how it could have damaged pistons, rods etc, not, in my unqualified mind, a reasonable assumption. Thinking that your insurance company might help you find a better solution. Contact your insurance company and ask them to intervene immediatly due to you loosing wages etc. Hopefully they can assist you and expedite the matter. Try calling another dealer might be a better alternative also.

ramblinNrollin

thanks yup these days u just cant be to careful

ramblinNrollin

another issue i have that i forgot to mention is that the dealership said..(please keep in mind i am a long ways from a mechanic).. that mine 06' is a short block and that they would (dodge) would not be able to put the same motor back in it would have to be a long block they said... i half way no the mechanic there and he said there has been many issues with these long blocks...??? do yall think i would be better of just if and when again if i get a chance to just get rid of it? do yall think exxon will end up having to pay the full 20,000 as well as my down time and lawyer fees???

steelblitzkrieg

Short block means no head(s), block only. Long block means it's pretty much ready to just button on accessories. Go to another dealer, or you misunderstood him.

My 02 5.9l Gasser had to have a new short block installed at around 50k, long story, but only one head was bad so they ordered a short block and one head, reused the good head.

He probably meant that your head was damaged so he couldn't order a short block, he had/has to order a long block. As far as problems with a long block? I'd much rather have a new head with it, who wouldn't?

duner

i would see if i could find the rest of the people that filled up at that station. surely you can't be the only one. with a big group of people with damaged trucks after them they might move a little faster.

ado2b1

That really sucks, I've avoided Exxon for a long time b/c of the crap gas I used to get there back in highschool.

I'm kind of suprised it destroyed your engine like that. We had a kid on a crew fill up one of the company powerstrokes with 30 gals of gas and drive it back to the shop spewing white smoke all the way (3 miles - barely running). We got the tank drained, flushed out the system, and started right back up, but it was already on its way to a rebuild, so maybe it damaged something a "little" more than it already was.

On the rebuild issue, if you don't get the full money from Exxon, and if you can - do it yourself. We've rebuilt two powerstroke engines (my CTD is far superior) without any mishaps. I think they ran about 5k for a warranteed longblock. Switch over accessories and go. The other was resleeved and had head work done, but thats been several years and I don't remember the cost.

Good luck whatever winds up happening. That should be a warning to us all (fortunately I go solely to flying J or MFA).

Joe T

Oh, I'm most definately keeping receipts after reading this. If they ask make sure you tell them you shut the engine down as soon as you saw the light.

For 20K... Yeah, you can probably get it plus whatever. But it might take awhile.

I'd get on here in the 3rd gen section and start asking questions about getting a rebuild done.. Also fuel system questions.

donhov

Again, don't stress over it, IMMEDIATLY contact your insurance company and also go back toteh station witha some type of container and get a fuel sample, documented that it is from that station and when, ahnd let your own insurance company deal with them and the problems. Demand that your insurance company supply you a loaner till yours is fixed and let them argue with Exon and/or the station owners. Thants what you pay such large amounts of money for , coverage and legal representation when someone else is wrong. Your insurance company will not take a loss, someone will reimburse them for their expenses.....

patdaly

Before ANYBODY tore my Cummins apart, they would drain the whole system, change the filters, fill it with fresh, clean fuel and try and run the thing............

Sorry, unless you heard a knock, had excessive blowby, etc, I don't see your engine hurt.

bcfitzsimons

I had to read the original post after Donhov started a thread over on the 3rd gen powertrain board. Ramblin, this sucks, but Donhov brings up a good point. Go get a sample from that station, and take pictures too, so you can document you were there. Even better, if Texas has a fuel quality testing program through your state auditor's office or whomever, call them and report the station. Pay for the fuel sample with a credit card (keep receipt) and make sure the pictures have the correct time and date on them. Then call your insurance company, and file the claim. Then make sure that gallon of fuel that you have from their tank is kept tightly closed so the water doesn't evaporate-and keep it under lock and key.

$20K for a long block plus labor seems high-I seem to remember these long blocks costing only $12K, and it's probably about $2K for the install (that gives you 20 hrs of labor plus tax at $80/hr). Just make sure whomever does the swap also drains the fuel tank.

Let us know how things turn out.

Fitz

Stormin_Norman

Hard to believe water from the fuel tank did any major damage to the internal engine parts. I've had the same thing happen before, we drained the tank, changed filter, and ran it. The only time I've seen enough water pulled into a diesel engine to damage it was through the air intake.

Injectors, filter, maybe even a pump I would believe. But a whole engine at 20K is hogwash IMO.

Joe T

What kinda diesel was is Norman?

rustyshakelford

where in harris county did you fill up at so i can avoid it! hope everything works out for you too

brett